The Discovery of Evolution

by David Young

David Young invites his readers on a journey of adventure and discovery; a journey for the mind, and an adventure in the realm of ideas. By retracing the steps of men who developed the theory of biological evolution, we see how scientists came to recognize the nature and importance of natural selection. The journey begins in the seventeenth century, when even the most accomplished naturalists knew next to nothing of biology as we understand it today. Steadily increasing knowledge and the quickening pace of research began to uncover much new evidence, and in the middle of the century Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace incorporated this evidence in a comprehensive theory of evolution. In the twentieth century biology has become steadily more specialized, so the book picks out some of the main developments that bring us to studies of evolution being carried out today.

Genres: Science, Evolution, Biology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Others:
David 2^ Young: Religion, Christian
David 3^ Young: GR Author, Photography
David 4^ Young: GR Author, Fiction, Children's
David 5^ Young: New Zealand author, Environmental
David 6^ Young: Fiction, Mystery & Thriller
David 7^ Young: Fiction, Thailand based
David 8^ Young: Poetry
David 9^ Young: Plays
David 10^ Young: Outdoor Activities
David 11^ Young: Motivation
David 12^Young
David 13^Young
David 14^Young (David of Perth)
David 15^ Young (Welsh rugbyplayer)
David 16^ Young (South African police officer and businessman)
David 17^ Young (American Pastor)
David 18^ Young (British children's author)

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book mostly impressed me for its accessibility and ability to put evolutionary discoveries into a historical context. It didn't necessarily do the best job of explaining concepts (see a textbook for that) or their importance (see Dawkins The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution for that), but it did give a rich account of how ideas were discovered and what factors influenced those discoveries. Good for someone who wants to know more about the scientists themselves.